The Jaffe Briefing - February 19, 2019

By JAFFE COMMUNICATIONS

February 19, 2019 at 11:16 AM

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By JAFFE COMMUNICATIONS

February 19, 2019 at 11:16 AM

STATEWIDE - To mark President's Day, New Jersey sued the President of the United States. While New Jerseyans were out buying discounted televisions and dishwashers to mark yesterday's big holiday, the state joined 15 other states to sue the President over his Trumped-up national "emergency" to fund his wall. It's all about such phrases as "flagrant disregard for the separation of powers" and "treating the rule of law with utter contempt," as 16 Democrat-controlled states are demanding an injunction in the courts to halt this fake emergency.

WINSLOW - Squirrels got the last laugh, cleverly avoiding New Jersey's first-ever squirrel hunting tourney in this rural Camden County town on Saturday. Plenty of would-be hunters - but almost no squirrels - showed up at the Inskip Antlers Hunting Club's event, billed as a fun family "celebration" of this "centuries-old tradition." A club spokesman tells the New York Post it "wasn't an overly great time if you wanted to kill an abundance of squirrels," noting only three furry critters got bagged. But, there were guest speakers, squirrel-skinning workshops, trays of braised squirrel meat for lunch and, oh yeah, a gaggle of animal rights protesters, some waving signs that read: "You Must Be Inbred," and "Good Job Raising Future Serial Killers." The whole thing sounds a bit nuts ... just ask any squirrel.

STATEWIDE - When it comes to New Jersey's recycling sector, there's dirt and then there's dirty - criminals and mobsters like the ones who infiltrated our garbage industry for decades, NJ Spotlight says. The state's been pushing to keep the bad actors out of the recycling industry, under an eight-year effort to institute licensing and background checks. Now, there is proposed legislation that appears to be a savoir, as it's released to a Senate committee. Here's hoping the bill will tackle the all-too-common practice of illegal dumping of contaminants under the façade of nice, friendly, recycled materials. Read more here.

NEWARK - A bad trip through Newark Liberty International Airport has prompted Assembly Republican leader Jon Bramnick to demand action. Apparently, he paid $4 or $5 for bottled water which the TSA took away. And then, it appears, he had to pay another $4 or $5 for another bottle. That prompted the ticked-off lawmaker to look at other vendor prices, and he quickly noticed that all these self-checkout and self-serve kiosks are creating a "consumer nightmare" in apparent price fixing, NJ 101.5 reports. His cost for a bottle of water and cough drops? $9.42. Sheesh, and now he wants the Port Authority - which oversees the airport - to investigate this classic, ongoing Jersey shakedown. Now if Bramnick really wants to be whipped into a furor, he should pay to park at the Meadowlands.

STATEWIDE - Light up, New Jersey! That's the message from 62 percent of New Jerseyans polled in the most recent Monmouth University poll, showing a growing number of residents are cool about recreational weed. Just 32 percent voiced opposition, as pollsters see New Jerseyans steadily mellowing out to the proposal. Gov. Phil Murphy and other state leaders are reportedly close to reaching an agreement on a topic smoldering since the governor took office. It seems the people - including many, many pizza store owners - are in support.

ROCHELLE PARK - A bunch of blunders landed a bungling burglar behind bars. That includes mistaking an unmarked police cruiser for the Lyft ride he called to make his getaway. Police say a 28-year-old homeless man made such a loud racket breaking into a Catherine Street home that he awakened its occupants last Thursday night. The intruder jumped from a second floor window to escape and hid in bushes at a nearby house, waiting for a Lyft driver to pick him up. Police tell the Daily Voice that the burglar came out when he saw an unmarked patrol car pull up on Oldis Street, knocked on its window and asked: "Are you my Lyft driver?" Seconds later he was hauled to the police station. No tip for this driver.

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - It's comedian Joe Piscopo to our rescue! No joke. The "Saturday Night Live" alum says "somebody's gotta save" New Jersey from getting "over-taxed and over regulated." The Passaic native tells Fox News host Andrew Napolitano that he just might be our state's knight in shining armor, running for governor next time around. Piscopo, 67, toyed with the same idea in 2017. But, appearing Monday on Fox Nation, Piscopo says he's now more concerned: "What about property taxes? What about the inner cities? What about helping the citizens?" All this, no laughing matter.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

HARTFORD, CT. - Just in time for spring training, one must ask: Are food allergies destroying baseball? The question is being raised in Connecticut, where the "Hartford Yard Goats" have officially banned shelled peanuts and Cracker Jack from the ballfield. Huh? Yep, apparently because of potential peanut allergies, there's no place in the stands for the iconic foods that for generations have been part of the baseball anthem "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Owners of the ball club are getting a bit testy in defending their decision, arguing that fans still can choose from 200 different foods and beverages, adding "They can still eat peanuts at home." Important to note that the Yard Goats play in Dunkin Donuts Field. Apparently, it is still fine for the kiddies to ingest tons of sugar, refined flour and fat. Just as long as there are no allergic reactions on the premises.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Kansas became a national downer on this day in 1881, the first state to ban all alcoholic beverages. But with less than 1 million people living on 82,200 square miles, interesting to know how that law was enforced.

WORD OF THE DAY

Sternutative - [stər-NYOO-tə-tiv] - adjective

Definition: Causing or inducing a sneeze

Example: If the germs of thousands of strangers at Newark Liberty don't have a sternutative effect, the price of a can of Coke certainly will.

WIT OF THE DAY

"Be the chess player - not the chess piece."

- Ralph Charell

WEATHER IN A WORD

Chill

THE NEW 60A Jaffe Briefing exclusive
by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun

Editor's Note: Jaffe Communications is the franchisee/publisher of TAPinto New Brunswick.

The opinions expressed herein are the writer's alone, and do not reflect the opinions of TAPinto.net or anyone who works for TAPinto.net. TAPinto.net is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the writer.

TRENTON - The state is going to the dogs, which apparently have a terrific lobbyist in Trenton. Somehow, Fido, Rover and other four-legged friends have convinced lawmakers in the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee to support a bill that would limit the number of dogs euthanized after they attack. NJ 101.5 reports that the legislation would only allow dogs who are determined as ...

TRENTON - The state is going to the dogs, which apparently have a terrific lobbyist in Trenton.

STATEWIDE - Well, this changes everything. Apparently, we now have the go-ahead to give the middle finger to cops who routinely pull us over. A federal appeals court has ruled a Michigan woman's constitutional rights were violated when she gave the Jersey salute to a cop in 2017. At first, the officer gave her a ticket for a lesser offense. But then she gave him the finger, prompting him to take ...

STATEWIDE - Well, this changes everything. Apparently, we now have the go-ahead to give the middle ...

CAMDEN - It was in 1997 when City Clerk Luis Pastoriza took a second jobas the registrar of vital statistics. And now he thinks it's about damn time he gets paid. Pastoriza is demanding to plead his case to a jury, claiming in a lawsuit that he has been flatly denied compensation for those 22 years of extra labor, reports TAPInto Camden. Not only that, he thinks Camden should throw in some extra ...

CAMDEN - It was in 1997 when City Clerk Luis Pastoriza took a second jobas the registrar of vital ...

TRENTON - Fixing what ain't broke remains a favorite pastime of our stateLegislature, with some senators trying to ram through legislation tomorrow that would allow public schools to operate public child care centers for babies as young as six weeks old. Huh? Such a bill would require taxpayers to drop millions into old, under-used school buildings so they can magically comply with the modern-day ...

TRENTON - Fixing what ain't broke remains a favorite pastime of our stateLegislature, with some ...

STATEWIDE - Gun owners are furious that Gov. Phil Murphy is proposing$9 million more in gun fees and taxes, noting it now costs less to get a handgun permit than a dog license in New Jersey. The more the opposition complains about the bill, the more it seems like an absolutely terrific idea. Case in point: opponents say the increases would make gun ownership too expensive for a large part of the ...

STATEWIDE - Gun owners are furious that Gov. Phil Murphy is proposing$9 million more in gun fees ...

STATEWIDE - Hey, did you hear this one: "A minister, a rabbi and an imam pull into a parking lot... and they are all taxed." It's no joke, contends NJ.com, which reports the new Trump tax rules regard free parking at houses of worship to be a taxable benefit for employees. The law slaps a 21 percent tax on fringe benefits at houses of worship for designated parking spots, among other things.

STATEWIDE - Hey, did you hear this one: "A minister, a rabbi and an imam pull into a parking lot...

PRINCETON - So, the sale of a choir college will bring down the United States? Apparently so, says two Republican lawmakers from Sussex County. They are trying to block the sale of Westminster Choir College to Chinese Communists. Assemblymen Hal Wirths and Parker Space say the buyer, Kaiwen Education, was in the steel business before buying Westminster and has zero experience in music ...

PRINCETON - So, the sale of a choir college will bring down the United States? Apparently so, says ...

TRENTON - Is is possible to be excited about a proposed state budget? Likely not, but perhaps the words "mildly enthused" can be attributed to the $38.6 billion spending plan that Gov. Phil Murphy presented yesterday for fiscal 2020. Yeah, it is a mish-mash of plenty of perceived, pie-in-the-sky revenue, but, in the end, it does control spending to less than 2 percent and slaps no new taxes on ...

TRENTON - Is is possible to be excited about a proposed state budget? Likely not, but perhaps the ...

OFF THE RAILS - It is early in the state's budget season. Very, very early. But Gov. Phil Murphy knows it is political suicide to attempt to dare raise fares on NJ Transit, as commuters have been clinging to their last nerve for years. His fiscal 2020 budget throws $100 million at the beleaguered agency, and promises to keep rates flat for the second year in a row. There's a big "if," of course.

OFF THE RAILS - It is early in the state's budget season. Very, very early. But Gov. Phil Murphy ...

PERTH AMBOY - You'd expect any freshman legislator to quietly sit in the back of the room, listen intently and perhaps co-sponsor a bill or two. But Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez - who joined the Assembly last year to serve the 19thLegislative District, appears to be anywhere and everywhere. She serves on four committees, one in which she is vice chair. And she is already prime sponsor on a bill ...

PERTH AMBOY - You'd expect any freshman legislator to quietly sit in the back of the room, listen ...